Illegals trump WI students - Doyle

FROM THE BADGER HERALD

As a parent of a UW-system kid, I wholeheartedly agree with Joey...


We might not realize it, but those of us paying in-state tuition (or something near that) have a pretty sweet deal. Our university education is actually worth a lot more than we pay. In fact, over the whole University of Wisconsin System, the budget is north of $25,000 per student per year. Of that, residents pay only about $7,500 and non-residents around $22,000 in yearly tuition at UW-Madison campus.

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Residents of Wisconsin pay into the system since they (or at least their parents) pay taxes here. In return, those residents get a heavily discounted tuition rate.

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There is one problem. There are many who live, work and go to school in Wisconsin who are not technically residents. In fact, they are not technically even citizens of the United States. And if you’re not a citizen then you can’t be a resident — right?

Gov. Jim Doyle doesn’t think that sounds fair, so he has included a measure to grant “tuition remission for a person who is a citizen of another country” in his budget, provided this person meets three conditions. First, they must have graduated from a Wisconsin high school or received their equivalency in the state. Second, they must have lived in the state for three straight years. And third, they must swear they will take action to become a citizen.

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Setting all arguments regarding illegal immigration aside, the fact remains, by definition, illegal/undocumented workers do not pay state or federal income tax — save for the precious few that care deeply about the 16th Amendment — and therefore do not contribute into the treasuries that are used to fund the majority of an in-state education at a Wisconsin university.

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-- those who contribute the most should get the biggest discounts.

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By including a clause requiring some form of service to the state, the governor could transform this measure from a partisan hack piece to a viable component in a greater move towards immigration reform. While it may not be viable to expect every 18-year-old illegal immigrant to find a job, it would not be off-base to require a year of volunteer work, or a commitment to service work during the summer months.

There are few who would argue that making education more accessible is fundamentally bad, but doing it in a decided sloppily fashion certainly can be.

AND HERE'S ANOTHER FINE COMMENTARY:

How did it suddenly become a priority to provide reduced tuition for people in the country illegally at a time when Wisconsin is facing a $1.6 billion budget deficit?

When Governor Doyle delivered his budget address in February, he said, “… keeping true to my promise, we will eliminate this $1.6 billion deficit without raising taxes.”

What he actually did was propose to raise taxes and fees on nursing home beds, daycare, and healthcare and other items by $368 million dollars. And part of that money is to fund a new government entitlement program… reduced tuition for illegal immigrants.

READ the entire post here: http://www.coalition4families.com/site/ArticleComment.aspx?id=12045&rpid=4486